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We Need Your Help! Keep Oakland Art Murmur Roaring for 20 More Years
Events and Exhibitions

Find Art Exhibitions, Openings and Artist Talks at arts venues throughout Oakland.
There is something going on every weekend!


Click through to view current events and exhibitions

East Bay Open Studios Events

East Bay Open Studios is a free, family friendly twice annual event that connects art collectors and arts lovers directly to artists throughout Alameda and Contra Costa County.

Find out more

Join the Community

There are several ways to connect with Oakland’s creative community.

Find out more


oaklandartmurmur

Your connection to visual art in Oakland 🌟
Host of bi-annual @eastbayopenartstudios

Over the last 20 years, we’ve produced and support Over the last 20 years, we’ve produced and supported hundreds of free or low-cost events for the arts that ensured that visual arts were accessible and essential to the fabrics of our East Bay community.

In 2006, our eight founding art spaces came together to launch the First Fridays Art Murmur, ultimately drawing hundreds to galleries in Oakland’s Temescal and Northgate neighborhoods and starting what has become a mainstay in East Bay arts and culture. 

Art Murmur defined a decade in Oakland. Then we grew to serve the greater East Bay with producing East Bay Open Studios, Artist Professional Development Workshops, and Emerging Artist program. 

Now we’re asking you to help us define our next one.

Today, Oakland Art Murmur remains a small organization with a mighty impact. But like the artists and art spaces in our community, we are facing challenges: reduced arts funding, economic uncertainty, and a political climate that is not friendly to the arts. That’s why this summer we’re asking you to invest in the Oakland creative ecosystem.

Please consider donatong $1, $5, $10 to keep our historic arts organization here. Every dollar counts!
‼️‼️Artist Resources Round Up Swipe through to ge ‼️‼️Artist Resources Round Up

Swipe through to get all the information. Please share with friends and artists who should apply or know about these fun opportunities.
___

@posca_usa Applications are now open for the TED & POSCA Global Artist Residency, curated and coordinated by Fine Acts. Applications close July 31 🔗Apply at ted.com/posca

@salmon_creek_farm has opened their Fall 2026–Winter 2027 workshops, skillshares, and retreat offerings for artists and creative community members. 🔗 Applications open and rolling now at salmoncreekfarm-arts.org/Workshops

@recologyair is accepting applications through September 1, 2026, for professional artists and student artists for residencies beginning February 2027. To be eligible, artists must first attend an on-site tour and then complete and submit an online application. 🔗 More information about how to apply at  https://lnkd.in/ex7u8JUF

@sfpubliclibrary is calling all Bay Area children’s book artists and illustrators to create art for Summer Stride 2027, San Francisco Public Library’s award-winning summer learning program. Deadline: July 13 🔗Apply at sfpl.org/artist-call

Downtown San Rafael Arts Community invites the public to an Artist Talk & Celebration of the Arts District on July 10, featuring a conversation with artists from the 2025–2026 San Rafael Public Art Program, 2nd Friday Art Walk, youth arts activities, local food, makers, and live music. 🔗Advance registration for the talk is required at https://bit.ly/SR-ArtWalk
Moderated by Aimee Espiritu, featuring 2026 Public Art Program artists Bryan Valenzuela, Paz de la Calzada, and Wyatt Hersey.

@coalitiononhomelessness is seeking art submissions for the Coalition on Homelessness Art Auction 2026, taking place Thursday, September 10 at SOMArts Cultural Center. Deadline: July 17. Learn more from the link in their bio

@mendocinoartcenter 2026/27 Greenhouse Residency application is open. This residency especially welcomes artists whose practices engage with food systems, climate justice, and ecological futures. 🔗Apply at mendocinoartcenter.org/greenhouse

@studio11gallery Open call for the Bay Area Artist Showcase. Art submission deadline closes August 1
With the long weekend right around the corner, the With the long weekend right around the corner, there’s so much great art to explore day and night tomorrow. Oakland’s galleries are lighting up this Friday with a lineup of art events that mix new work with a few last chances. Here‘s where to point your feet tonight 👇

@johansson_projects continues In Your Own Time, a two-person show with painter and sculptor Leyla Pekmen and painter Julien Laporte. Open 1–8 pm

@slate_art presents (Un)tethered, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Jen Garrido. Open 11 am–5 pm

@mannagalleryoakland previews Everything Must Go, a juried group exhibition juried by artist and educator Lisa Solomon, exploring impermanence, change, and renewal. Open 5–8 pm (closed July 4th)

@gearboxgallery closes out Field Notes, new work by Oakland-based artists Linda Ellinwood and Joy Every, running alongside The Hidden Treasures of Stan Chan. Last day for both. Open 12–9 pm

@eastbayphotocollective presents Practice Makes Process at Oakland Photo Workshop, featuring work by the beloved and talented teaching artists. Open 12–6 pm

@dearjohnshop has Act Like You’ve Been Here Before, new works by Amol Ray, on view now ahead of the artist‘s reception July 18th. Open 10 - 5:30pm

@fmoakland presents Positively Cynical, recent work by resident artist Ryan Tesluk. Open 5–10 pm

@empowermentave presents The Distance Between: Traveling Beyond Count Time at InStudio, featuring work by formerly and currently incarcerated artists. Open 5–9 pm

@thegrandgalleryoakland presents Pete Escovedo: The California Art Tour (Oakland Chapter), spotlighting artwork by famed musician Pete Escovedo. Open 11 am–7 pm

@werkshack opens The Student Show, work by East Bay community college art classes from students at College of Alameda, Berkeley City College, Merritt College, and Laney College. Open 5–9 pm

Additionally!
🌟 @bamp_art leads a guided First Friday mural tour along Broadway, starting at Oakstop and ending at 23rd & Broadway. Free, registration required. 

#OaklandArtMurmur #FirstFridayOakland #OaklandArt #ArtWalk #EastBayArt July
Looking for art this weekend? Here are a few exhib Looking for art this weekend? Here are a few exhibition openings and events happening around Oakland.

Brian Kieling & Lanning Stern Pop-Up Exhibition
📍1729 Telegraph Ave., 3rd Floor
Opening Reception: Friday, June 26, 6–9 PM
Gallery Hours: June 27 and 28, 2-8pm

Explore a weekend pop-up exhibition featuring new work by Brian Kieling and Lanning Stern. Kieling’s paintings range from expansive landscapes to vivid, kinetic figurative works layered with bold color and movement.

Built Together, Growing Together
📍ARTogether
Friday, June 26, 5–8 PM

Join ARTogether for an evening celebrating nine years of community building through art. The event honors outgoing founder Leva Zand, welcomes new leadership, and celebrates the organization’s continued work alongside refugee and immigrant artists. Refreshments provided. Free and open to all.

Emily Shepard: In Flux
📍Mercury 20 Gallery
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 27, 3–5 PM
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm

Shepard’s work is mirrored by her practice as a year round swimmer in the San Francisco Bay: moving her body through cold water, attuned to tides and currents, releasing into the hypnotic push and pull. Her painting practice and bay swimming share the need for focused attention, awareness of sensation, and internal states. Each artwork, like each swim, is a search for wholeness, presence, and embodied learning.

Pat O’Connor–Reclaimed
📍Mercury 20 Gallery
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 27, 3–5 PM
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm

 In her exhibit, Reclaimed, O’Connor  is drawn to surfaces shaped by wear, weather, and works with cardboard salvaged from the streets, recycling bins, and packaging. Through folding, layering, stitching, printing, and painting, she transforms these fragments and other seemingly incongruent materials into richly layered assemblages. 

What will you be exploring this weekend? Let us know below.
What’s On View Tomorrow: First Fridays in June!✨ H What’s On View Tomorrow: First Fridays in June!✨
Here’re our curated picks of what we recommend seeing and exploring this Friday across Oakland 👇

If you’re heading out tomorrow night, start on 25th Street, where these galleries and art spaces are exhibititing within a block of one another:

@johansson_projects
In Your Own Time features work by Leyla Pekmen and Julien Laporte, examining pace, perception, and the ways we move through personal and shared experiences. Opening reception tonight!
📍 2300 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland
Open 5–8pm

@slate_art | Slate Annex
Made In Oakland celebrates artists working across the city, bringing together a range of practices and perspectives.
📍 473 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–8pm

@mannagalleryoakland
Familiar Strangers brings together work by Devynn Barnes, Madelyn Covey, Monica Guillory, Pamela Mooney, Jillian Shea, Julianne Sterling, and Deirdre White.
📍 473 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–8pm

@fmoakland
Positively Cynical presents recent work by Ryan Tesluk, blending humor, observation, and sharp commentary.
📍 483 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–10pm

@werkshack
Kummerspeck by Kelly Defayete and Cybele Gerachis.
📍 481 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–9pm

@mercury20gallery
Three solo exhibitions open this month: Abby Zhang’s Private Weather, Gustave Carlson’s New American Stillness, and Charlie Milgrim’s Crude Futures, each offering distinct perspectives on landscape, memory, and contemporary life.
📍 475 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–9pm

@empowermentave | InStudio
Traveling Beyond Count Time presents work by currently incarcerated artists, exploring memory, imagination, and creative life beyond the constraints of incarceration.
📍 473 25th Street, Suite A, Oakland
Open 5–9pm

Looking to venture beyond?
@joycegordon.gallery
Stop by for an evening of contemporary art in one of Oakland’s longest-running Black-owned galleries.
📍 406 14th Street, Oakland
Open 6–9pm 

And for early gallery-goers:
@gearboxgallery
The Hidden Treasures of Stan Chan and Field Notes: Linda Ellinwood / Joy Every are both on view during daytime hours.
📍 770 West Grand Avenue, Oakland
Open 12–5pm
FREE BLOCK PARTY! 🥳 Join Us to Celebrate Two Decad FREE BLOCK PARTY! 🥳 Join Us to Celebrate Two Decades of Oakland Art Murmur!

Twenty years ago, eight Oakland art spaces had a simple idea: open your doors on the same night, and people will come. They did. And the East Bay culture has never been the same. On Saturday, May 30th, we’re celebrating that moment and everything that’s grown from it with a free, all-ages anniversary art party.

It’s a full day of hands-on art-making activities, live, a DJ, interactive performers, food, and drinks in OAK. At the heart of it is a community exhibition showcasing artwork from 100+ East Bay Open Studios artists, plus an introduction to our newest cohort of Emerging Artists.

MORE announcements about art making activities and musical guests coming soon! 

Admission is free and open to everyone. RSVPs are highly encouraged (check the link in bio)!

When: Saturday, May 30th, 11-5pm
Where: The Orchard / Galleries on 25th, 489 25th Street, Oakland
RSVP through the link in our bio 🔗

This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of: @visitoakland @thenewparkway @blick_oakland @theblackforestkitchen @dvine_graze @umagalleryoakland @thegrandgalleryoakland @artogether__ @mercury20gallery @werkshack @empowermentave @mannagalleryoakland @fmoakland @slate_art @grocery_outlet Berkeley Giclee and the William H. Donner Foundation
🌟 Introducing our newest Emerging Artists Cohort! 🌟 Introducing our newest Emerging Artists Cohort!

Last year we started this program because the East Bay has always been a place where creativity thrives, and keeping that alive means championing the artists just getting started. We’re here to build opportunities for emerging voices to showcase their talent and for the creative ecosystem to grow with them.

We can’t wait for you to experience these eight incredible artists’ work in person at both the Opening Party & Exhibition on May 30th as well as during Open Studios June 6-7 & 13-14. 

Please, say hello to:

Laura Wasserman, narrative fiber art & weaving
Visit @radcraftstudios at @dicteeartgallery 

Qi Han, observational and hyperrealistic oil painting
Visit @hanqiart at @thegrandgalleryoakland 

Hanah Goldov, ceramics
Visit @goldovgoods in their home studio at 2227 Stuart St in Berkeley

Donny Phan, experimental flora & fauna collage
Visit @planttecture at @artogether__ 

Finn Jordan, printmaking, painting & illustration 
Visit @finnfinnfinn1122 at @artogether__ 

Pam Jue, introspective abstraction and mark-making
Visit @pamjueart at @grayloftgallery 

Mark Romero, Nicaraguan-American cultural heritage illustration
Visit @el_chiquito__ at @makersworkspace 

Niko Alexander — sport, myth & painting
Visit @nik0alexander at @thegrandgalleryoakland 

Follow along as we spotlight each of them over the coming weeks on the @EastBayOpenStudios Instagram. 💛

#EastBayOpenStudios #OaklandArtMurmur #EmergingArtist
What’s On View Tomorrow: First Friday is back!✨ H What’s On View Tomorrow: First Friday is back!✨

Here’re our curated pics of what we recommend you see and explore this Friday, across Oakland👇

@gearboxgallery
Edges of Attention brings together the work of Javier Arizmendi-Kalb and Susana Arias in a shared exploration of structure, gesture, and the threshold between control and intuition.
📍 770 West Grand Avenue, Oakland
Open 12–5pm

@mannagalleryoakland
Built Different, Gina Gaiser’s black-and-white photography, reflects on construction, pattern, and perception in the urban landscape. Return to manna on Saturday, May 2nd for a Hands-on, family, art collage activity.
📍 473 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–9pm

@empowermentave
Grand opening and inaugural exhibition The Distance Between: Traveling Beyond Count Time, a new space centering the work of currently incarcerated artists.
📍 473 25th Street, Suite A, Oakland
Open 5–9pm

@fmoakland
Dreamscapes, Daisuke Okamoto’s intricate ink drawings, explores identity, transformation, and organic life cycles.
📍 483 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–10pm

@mercury20gallery
A series of exhibitions tracing networks, material differences, and systems shaping our lives, featuring Andrea Guskin, Alec Martin, Leigh Barbier, Jessica Cadkin, Laura Malone, and Christine Meuris.
📍 475 25th Street, Oakland
Open 5–8pm

@johansson_projects
Forgotten Eyes, paintings by Pablo Benzo and sculpture by Soojin Choi, explores shifting boundaries between inner and outer worlds.
📍 2300 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland
Open 5–8pm

@slate_art 
Return to Form by Rubeena Ratcliffe explores memory, domestic space, and imagined narratives through layered abstractions and geometric form. Her architecture background shapes dreamlike environments that shift between solidity and transformation.
📍 5510 College Avenue, Oakland
Open 11–5pm

#OaklandArtMurmur #FirstFridayOakland #OaklandArt #ArtWalk #EastBayArt
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PO BOX 10112 Oakland, CA. 94610
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